2 ancient shrines found in Thane,India

The sleepy village of Gunj in Wada taluka, about 60 km from Thane, was charged up after two ancient temples in complete ruins were discovered in the dense forest on Friday.
The revelation was made by senior BJP leader Om Prakash Sharma when he visited the village recently. “I had undertaken the task of renovating the Parshuram temple that is located in the Mandakini Hills. As I was climbing the hill, I came across these two medieval temples. They were in complete ruins. It is said that they were plundered by the Moghuls hundreds of years ago. One of the temples belongs to Shiva and the other to Renukamata, who was Parshuram’s mother,’’ Sharma told TOI.
Sharma has undertaken the task of renovating Parshuram temples in the state. According to him, there are only two Parshuram temples, one of which is at Chiplun in Ratnagiri district. Sharma had also embarked on a Parshuram yatra in November.
Lord Parshuram is revered by Hindus and it is believed that it was he who created the coastal land from Kerala to Gujarat running through Kokan. Kokan is also known as Parshuram bhoomi. There are also mythological references suggesting that Parshuram, who strongly opposed evil, was gifted his bow and arrow by Lord Shiva. ‘Parsha’, a weapon given to him by Lord Ganesh, gave him the nomenclature by which he is known. Parshuram is also known as the sixth manifestation of Lord Vishnu.
According to Sharma, the Shiva temple has carvings on its entrance and also has a ‘pindi’. The temples are located near a lake at the foothills of Mandakini Hills, which is on the border of Wada and Bhiwandi talukas. The idols from the Renukadevi temple were reinstated in 1732 by Chimaji Appa, a warrior from Vasai, who renovated the Vajreshwari temple after it was destroyed by invaders.
Sharma has planned a procession on February 17 to create awareness among villagers about monuments that lie hidden in jungles and other remote places. The village, which has a population of around three hundred people, is gearing up for the event.